


Brainless, Beautiful Creature

by pawnofkings



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew basically calls Neil a beautiful dumbass, Andrew using his eidetic memory, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Oscar Wilde!!, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, as he should, to insult (and compliment) neil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:09:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26049322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pawnofkings/pseuds/pawnofkings
Summary: “‘Real beauty ends where an intellectual expression begins’", Andrew replied, tracing his finger along one of the scars on Neil’s right cheek.The man frowned. “What?”“It’s a quote from the book I was reading. You’re beautiful.”Neil looked taken aback by the sudden compliment, then stilled. “‘Real beauty ends where intellectual expression begins’ - are you calling me stupid?”“And pretty”, Andrew murmured.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 7
Kudos: 346





	Brainless, Beautiful Creature

For $1500 a month, Andrew would’ve thought that they’d be afforded better heating. As it was, the temperature inside the apartment reflected the one outside the window, which only really worked out well in late spring and early fall and not at all the rest of the time.

Like this night in November, when the temperature had dropped into the thirties and every part of him that wasn’t covered by a duvet was hurting from the cold. Still, he refused to give in, lying on his stomach over  _ The Picture of Dorian Gray _ , pretending his fingertips didn’t sting. 

_ Your mysterious young friend, whose name you have never told me, but whose picture really fascinates me, never thinks. I feel quite sure of that. He is some brainless, beautiful creature, who should be always here in winter when we have no flowers to look at, and always here in summer when we want something to chill our intelligence. _

His own brainless, beautiful creature lay just beside him. Shivering, Andrew just then noticed. Of course the man hadn’t complained, though he could’ve. Andrew set down the book beside the bed, not a tall drop given the bed was little but a mattress on the floor (Neil called it a futon to make it sound like more than it was), and turned to the side to face him, that brainless, beautiful creature. Neil, stirred to attention by the shifting, opened his eyes. They were as icy blue as the air was cold, and Andrew pressed a fingertip to his cheek. It didn’t feel cold relative to his finger, which meant it was.

“You could’ve told me you were cold”, Andrew told him.

“You were reading”, Neil mumbled, still shaking. “Didn’t wanna bother you.”

“‘Real beauty ends where an intellectual expression begins’, Andrew replied, tracing his finger along one of the scars on Neil’s right cheek. 

The man frowned. “What?"

“It’s a quote from the book I was reading. You’re beautiful.”

Neil looked taken aback by the sudden compliment, then stilled. “‘Real beauty ends where intellectual expression begins’ - are you calling me stupid?”

“And pretty”, Andrew murmured. Neil scrunched his nose, clearly still displeased, and Andrew forced down the smile tugging at his lips. “C’mere, then, if you’re so cold.”

“Yeah?” Neil asked. When Andrew nodded, he quickly moved into welcoming arms, pressing himself against Andrew’s chest and sighing. “Better.”

“Mm.”

“Is the book any good? It sounds pretentious.”

“‘Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face’.”

“You don’t have to call me dumb in so many words. This is getting repetitive.”

“‘The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid’”, Andrew continued, pressing his face into Neil’s soft curls. It helped return some of the feeling to his nose.

“Wanna know how I know that’s wrong?” Neil asked.

“Sure.”

Andrew could hear the smile on his voice. “‘Cause you’re a genius, and you’re also the most attractive person I know.”

Andrew playfully shoved at him (before pulling him closer) and sneered (glad that Neil’s face was pressed to his neck so he wouldn’t see the blush on Andrew’s face). “I’m the _only_ person you’re attracted to. You’re such an idiot.”

“Maybe. But you think I’m  _ beautiful _ .”

“I’ll kick you out of this bed.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was gonna make this part of my new Andreil one-shot collection (A Tale of New York City, which I hope will have many, many parts! Subscribe to see when it updates) but I liked it too much on its own so here we are.


End file.
